Uncategorized Archives | Office of the Provost

Please consider joining your colleagues for the first Summer Institute for Intercultural Professional Development and Pedagogy, June 15 and 16, at the Graylyn International Conference Center. This 2-day retreat, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, is intended for faculty and staff across the Reynolda campus who are interested in better understanding campus climate concerns, diversity and inclusion practices, and connecting with a broad range of colleagues. The retreat will provide the space and time necessary to deliberately explore pedagogical ideas, philosophical differences, and personal accounts related to issues of diversity and inclusion in collegiate settings, including but not limited to student experiences, the cultural context of student-faculty-staff relationships, and the experiences of those who play crucial (and sometimes forgotten) roles in shaping our campus and greater community.

Attendees will need to commit to spending 2 days and 1 night in this retreat-like setting at the Graylyn International Conference Center. The intent behind this requirement rests in the strong belief that an uninterrupted opportunity to “sit” with these complex issues will help clarify paths to move forward as we all strive to make Wake Forest University the type of community that values the different voices, experiences, and perspectives that make up our extended community.

All food and single-occupancy lodging expenses for participants will be covered by the Provost’s office; however, funding is only available for 20 participants. Consequently an application (see link below) needs to be completed in order to be considered for this opportunity. And all interested individuals must complete their application by April 30th, 2016. You will be notified of your application status no later than May 15th. And please understand that once you have accepted an invitation to participate in the Institute, you will be expected to attend.

Joe Cassidy has been named as the inaugural executive director for campus fitness and recreation. He joins the University’s staff April 11.

“The position was created, in part, to provide leadership to make the renovated Reynolds Gym a world-class recreation center and hub for wellbeing on campus,” announced Penny Rue, vice president for campus life.

As executive director, Cassidy’s responsibilities include providing visionary leadership, supervision and management of campus recreation facilities and programs, including intramural sports, club sports, outdoor programs and aquatics. He will play a central role in developing creative, state-of-the-art programs and services that benefit the campus community.

As an executive director, he will serve as a member of the Campus Life leadership team.

Most recently, Cassidy served for five years as director of the Rensselaer Union at Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute, where his responsibilities included the supervision of recreation.

“He served for 10 years in progressive, student-centered leadership positions at Dartmouth University, where he also led the oldest and most extensive outdoor education program in the country,” Rue said.

Earlier, Cassidy served for 13 years as director of the LaFortune Center and student activities at the University of Notre Dame. He also held positions at Lehigh and Eastern Illinois universities.

Cassidy received a Bachelor’s degree at Bellarmine University, a Master’s degree at Eastern Illinois and a MBA degree at Notre Dame.

Counseling professor Sam Gladding, whose dozens of books about counseling are read worldwide, is focused now on a topic very close to home and his heart—Wake Forest University and its history.

Recently, he completed a nine-year project to write “The History of Wake Forest University: Volume 6.” The book tells the story of the University when it was led by Thomas K. Hearn Jr. From 1983 until his retirement in 2005, Hearn served as Wake Forest’s 12th president. He also was the University’s second-longest serving president with 22 years at the helm.

“Wake Forest went from a strong regional, Baptist-affiliated university to a top 30 national, independent institution of higher learning,” according to Gladding, a Wake Forest alumnus who returned to the University in 1990 as assistant to the president for special projects and professor of counseling. He later spent several years as associate provost before focusing all of his efforts at the University on the Department of Counseling.

An opportunity to have the book signed by Gladding is ahead. On April 9, he will be signing on campus at Words Awake 2, a two-day celebration of Wake Forest-associated writers and writing. The signing will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Benson University Center, fourth floor. Also signing books will be Provost Emeritus Ed Wilson, author of “The History of Wake Forest University, Volume V,” which focused on the University between 1967-83, when James Ralph Scales was president.

Jonathan McElderry has been named assistant dean of students and director of the University’s Intercultural Center, formerly known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

McElderry, who will join Wake Forest on June 1, is the director of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center and interim coordinator in the Office of Greek Life at the University of Missouri. He recently completed his doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis at Missouri.

“Jonathan McElderry’s experience in higher education has focused on enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion on college campuses,” said Barbee Oakes, assistant provost and chief diversity officer. “His research has sought to raise awareness of the experiences of underrepresented students at predominantly white institutions and provide strategies to increase their academic and social success.”

This summer, the Intercultural Center will be renovated to include additional offices, expanded lounge space and meeting/conference/workroom space.

The Wake Forest University Arts Council campaign begins March 14th, and will continue through April 15th. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County continues to become more engaged with the community by asking the community to become more engaged with them. The theme for 2016 is “Join Us at the Table,” with the idea of inviting people to share ideas, help sustain their current programs, and create new ones. The Arts Council is listening and they want to make our community more creative and more beautiful by integrating innovative ideas.

We are a community of scholars and we understand the importance of a well-rounded education. The Arts Council provides arts and cultural enrichment opportunities to our students, faculty and staff beyond the classroom and our campus. The diversity of artists and cultural organizations that The Arts Council supports creates opportunities for the culturally rich community where we live, work, and continue to learn.

We will celebrate the arts at the next Provost’s Happy Hour at Zick’s from 4:00 – 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 7. Art Nouveau of Winston-Salem, the Arts Council’s young professional group, will also be in attendance providing information about how to get more involved in the arts community and promoting the upcoming independent music festival, Phuzz Phest.

We have some wonderful new incentives this year. For those who make a donation of $500 or more, we will have a drawing for a glassblowing class at The Olio. For those who make a gift of $250 or more, we will have a drawing for a pair of season tickets to the 2016-17 season of the WFU University Theatre.

We hope that you will consider making your donation to The Arts Council campaign so that they are able to continue these worthwhile projects in our community. The provided link will take you to a webpage where you will have cash, credit and payroll deduction options.